The invention set forth in this specification pertains to new and improved slide sorters for use in sorting photograph or similar slides so that they are place in a desired or intended sequence.
Frequently those who use photographic or similar slides need to be able to quickly and easily sort such slides so that at least some of a group of slides are placed in a desired sequence. Obviously such slides can be sorted in a variety of different manners.
In an extreme situation it is possible to sort them by holding individual slides so that they are held between an eye of a person doing the sorting and a source of light so that they are viewed as they are backlighted and then locating them in an intended sequence after they are viewed. This type of procedure is considered relatively undesirable for several different reasons. Frequently it is rather difficult to adaquately view a slide against a particular light source. Also it is frequently necessary to independently view different slides a series of times in order to get a series of slides in a desired sequence.
These same complications are encountered when back lighted hand held or similar slide viewers employing ambient illumination to illuminate a single slide at a time are used to facilitate the sorting of slides. The use of back lighted slide viewers incorporating a light source is considered to be an improvement over the use of viewers employing ambient light but is still disadvantageous as a consequence of the cost of using any illumination source. In addition, battery powered illumination is normally somewhat unsatisfactory for use in a slide sorter while the use of illumination powered by normal line current is rather undesirable in a slide sorter because of the fact that a slide sorter powered by a line current can only be used when it is possible to connect the sorter to a power line.
It is believed that both battery and line current have been used in the past to supply power to illuminate so called "light tables" so that the latter can be used in viewing and sorting a group of slides. Such tables are considered to be objectionable because of cost considerations and because of another important factor--portability. The sizes of such light tables usually precludes there being carried out about and used in virtually any sort of a desired location. Because of this, it is considered impractical to use even a relatively small desk top type of light table while traveling on an airplane so as to arrange slides in a desired sequence. Further, when a light table is used it is normally considered necessary to store slides sorted with such a table in a separate box or the like where they are held in such a manner that they cannot be readily inspected as they are used.